week 4

[stagemanagers]

[Another week, and two more dead. King Richard and Red are both gone, and once again, it was through nothing more than an accident in the heat of the moment. Maybe if you all stay calm and collected, nothing bad will happen again?

Well, maybe not.

When you wake on Sunday, you'll find that you've recovered another one of those memories - or had another dream, if you still wanna be in denial about it. The grounds remain as they are, but this time, the door blocking the stairwell has been unsealed. You can now venture up to the second floor! This is the second time that's happened; it's almost as if you get more space every time someone dies. Or maybe the whole place just seems quieter.]

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday


(( Welcome to Week 4! Please remember to submit your AC and your memory regains, as well as your coins! You can also still contact the Phantom. ))

Comments

[isawallflower]

Give it to me! [ That’s a bit too quick and panicked. ] I- I think I—

[ She doesn’t want to say she recognizes it. She doesn’t want it to be real. ]

[37773972]

Riley! [Time To Calm The Child, he reaches out for her with one hand] I'll let you see it, but you need to calm down for me, OK?

[Dad Mode: Engaged]

[isawallflower]

[ Her eyes remain on the knife. But she stops. She tries to take a deep breath. ]

Okay. O-okay, I'm. I will, I'm calm. I- I can be calm.

[37773972]

[Okay. Good. Once he's sure she's calm(er), once she's taken another breath- then he pulls back his hand to stop halting her, taking it by the blade - as gingerly as he can, avoiding as much of the blood as he can - and offering it to her, handle first]

Careful. It looks sharp.

[isawallflower]

[ She does look calmer. But...it's hard to keep her hand from shaking, as she takes the blade. She barely needs to examine it. ]

...I know this.

[37773972]

[There is no way this can be a good thing. He wants to take it back from her, but- it's not that it's 'hers', per se, but. There's so many mixed reasons- Stephen swallows, clearing his throat]

Riley. Do you need to keep it, or can I have it?

[He's not her father, and thank God for that. But he still wants to Protect her.]

[isawallflower]

I...

[ She's studying it. Trying to- find something. Anything. Any kind of--

She drops it and takes a step back. The knife clatters to the ground, leaving blood on the tiled floor. ]

G-get it away from me. I d- don't. [ Not now. ] I don't wanna see it.

[37773972]

[He really shouldn't have let her see it in the first place. But Stephen is sufficiently distracted from his own thoughts enough that he can focus on hers, and he quickly grabs the knife, shoves it in his back pocket - tearing it in the process - and moves to kneel in front of her and touch her arm]

Hey. Hey. Whatever happened, you're safe right now. Okay? Nobody's getting hurt.

[isawallflower]

[ Slow breaths. It's depressing how she thinks, all she wants is one day, right now. Just one day.

She opens her mouth to say something but can't get the words out. Riley shakes her head once, and, eventually, manages- ]

I-I really just wanted them t-to. To be dreams.

[37773972]

[It clicks, then; these words, combined with her insistence that their 'remembering' wasn't real - if it involves a bloody knife, no wonder. Still.

Dad Mode Still Engaged.]

Let's go somewhere else, okay? Do you want to go to your room?

[Or- anywhere else.]

[isawallflower]

M-my room? [ Her throat's tight. She shakes her head again. ] No. No, no, no, it- it's a mess.

[37773972]

All right. Want to come to mine? [That could be weird] Actually, let's go outside?

[isawallflower]

[ That's...okay. That's a bit better. Riley nods. ]

Yeah. Okay. Okay, let's- yeah, that's better.

[37773972]

[Outside they go, then- with him steering Riley to the side so that the literal knife in his pants back pocket is out of view.]

Good. We can get some fresh air- want to learn some constellations?

[isawallflower]

[ This is fine! This is great! Riley lets herself be guided as she just. Tries to breathe herself down from some kind of anxiety attack. (Cairo's still not here, still can't help her, maybe she--)

Another nod. ]

You...said they weren't right, though.

[37773972]

The groupings themselves are right- see, up there? Ursa Major - the Big Dipper. [He points skywards, leading her to a place to sit down] Now, normally you could use Dubhe and Merak, along the side, to point you towards Polaris and the Little Dipper - but right now, it just points towards Virgo.

[He thinks]

What's your star sign? We'll see if we can find that one, next.

[isawallflower]

[ Right now, she's just going to follow where he's pointing. After a moment- ]

Aries. It's... March 23rd.

[37773972]

Aries...alright. Too bad I don't have my notes, I could find it faster, but I think I remember seeing it. There's Lupus, again.

[He's tracing the sky as he 'searches', briefly 'drawing' out the wolf]

[isawallflower]

[ She pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them. If she just keeps looking at the sky, maybe...she'll forget about everything else? ]

I...think I see it. I've never...looked for constellations, though.

[37773972]

Not even when you were little? [He won't say anything about her parents, that...is a very touchy subject that would not help.]

[isawallflower]

[ Probably a good call, there.

Riley shakes her head. ] It's...not really fun alone. [ ...God, that sounds pathetic- ] And, um. ...Cairo's...not the outdoorsy-type.

[ She stiffens for a moment. Don't think about it don't think about it don't-- ]

What's that one? [ She nods at a collection of stars. Any collection of stars. ]

[37773972]

Maybe you should try wishing on a star, sometime. [He's not- really teasing, or serious. Just...trying to lighten the mood.] And let me see...

...based on the placement of the others, I think that's the Cheerleader. [Said straight-faced.]

[isawallflower]

...You're kidding. You have to be kidding.

[37773972]

It's the Peacock. [Friendly nudge] Kind of close, right?

[isawallflower]

[ Despite everything, she lets out a sharp laugh and her shoulders slump. ]

The Peacocks are a team in New Jersey. [ ...of course she knows other schools' team mascots. ]